Buffa Distribution Bowls a Strike with commercebuild

A COMPLETE ECOMMERCE SOLUTION

The company implemented commercebuild simultaneously with the implementation of Sage 300. “We had an entry-level accounting package before, and it just couldn’t keep up,” recalls Mark Buffa, CEO. “We had eCommerce capabilities too, but only B2C (business to consumer). With commercebuild, we saw we could expand our webstore capabilities to serve our business customers as well.“

Buffa says that commercebuild was a big part of the decision to move to Sage. “We looked at other ERPS, but felt that Sage had the better solution with the integration of Sage 300 and commercebuild. That level of integration is hard to find elsewhere, and we can incorporate additional integrated solutions like Sage CRM.”

MORE SAME-DAY SHIPPING

Orders placed through commercebuild move into Sage and on to the warehouse in a matter of seconds. The company processes an average of 150 orders per day, and Buffa says the streamlined order handling commercebuild provides allows them to ship more orders the same day they are received.

“As a distributor, we may be selling many of the same products as our competitors, so in order to differentiate ourselves, we have to be better. We have to be faster. With commercebuild, we can focus more resources on getting our orders out quickly and accurately.”

WORKING SEAMLESSLY, 24/7

Integration between Sage and commercebuild is strong and comprehensive. Customers can see all their transactions, not just those they’ve placed through the webstore. If an order has shipped, customers can view the carrier’s tracking number and follow a link to trace the package.

“And if a product they need is on backorder, we’re even showing them the estimated arrival date that comes from Sage 300,” says Buffa.

commercebuild supports what Buffa describes as a very complicated pricing matrix, with various loyalty tiers and discounts. “Our old system couldn’t support it, but commercebuild handles it easily. We also run frequent sales and promotions, and as soon as we configure those in Sage 300, they are active in commercebuild,” he says.

Buffa Distribution is a fully bilingual company, with both English and French websites, and naturally Sage and commercebuild support both languages.

Buffa says the product support he has received from commercebuild has been prompt and professional. “We can log in to the support portal and submit a screen shot, research a question, or create a new support ticket. It’s friendly and easy to use.”

INTEGRATED PAYMENT PROCESSING

For Buffa, integrated payment processing means customers can pay for their orders or open invoices by credit card through commercebuild, with payment data flowing seamlessly into Sage.

It eliminates the need to manually process credit cards and record approval data in the software, freeing additional staff time and further speeding order processing times.

GROW WHILE OPTIMIZING WORKFORCE

Previously, the company had four full-time people entering orders, but with the majority of B2B (business-to-business) orders coming directly through commercebuild, those personnel are now free to focus on marketing and promotion activities.

“They are now working to build stronger customer relationships, not just taking orders,” says Buffa.

Buffa concludes, “We’re providing customers with a great experience — they tell us they love doing business with us through the webstore. commercebuild allows us to focus on growing our customer base and building our business. We know we can scale the business further without adding more staff, thanks to the efficiencies the software provides.”